Overview
- A federal judge in San Diego imposed the 200-month term after a jury convicted Jinchao “Patrick” Wei in August on six counts including espionage.
- Prosecutors said Wei, 25, sold photos, videos, and about 60 technical and operational manuals for Navy ships over 18 months for more than $12,000.
- Wei served as a machinist’s mate with a security clearance on the USS Essex and moved conversations with his handler to encrypted apps after a social-media approach.
- Agents arrested Wei at Naval Base San Diego in August 2023 following months of surveillance that included bugs and phone taps.
- Officials cast the case as a deterrent and noted it was the Southern District of California’s first prosecution for selling defense information to aid a foreign government; administrative discharge and possible civil denaturalization remain pending.